1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to crawling insect traps and more particularly to insect traps using the grooming behaviors of the insect to facilitate application of a biological agent.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A common approach to killing insects, e.g. cockroaches is to spray infested areas with a pesticide. This method entails removing foodstuffs, dishes, etc. from the cupboards and other areas to be sprayed. If the infestation is in an apartment building, the insects can merely migrate from apartment to apartment, resulting in rapid reinfestation of the sprayed area.
An additional problem with spraying pesticides is that they contaminate living areas, thereby exposing people to unnecessary health hazards. This pollution of living areas and the environment necessarily limits the choice of pesticides.
One method of approaching the noted problems is to attract the insect to a certain area and apply the poison to the insect within that habitat. The use of small structures to simulate the preferred habitat of cockroaches is well known. Commonly, the structure consists of a small, hollow rectangular column which provides a dark, close environment.
The cockroach will enter the structure and encounter the poison within. Usually, the poison is placed on the floor of the structure and will be ingested by the cockroach when it grooms its feet.
A common problem with the prior art is that it relies primarily on foot contact with the poison to achieve its purpose. Optimally, the poison will, instead, be deposited firmly on both the feet and the antennae.
The antennae are used by the cockroach not only for grooming but also to sample its environment; much as a human would use a hand to gather in and taste food. Thus, a method of poison delivery that liberally coats the antennae will eventually administer more poison to the cockroach.
Although the prior art contains an example of the use of fibers to deliver poison from surfaces other than the floor, the individual fibers are disclosed as being rather coarse, such as hemp or steel wool, so that the fibers will stand away from the wall. The disadvantage of this arrangement is that coarse fibers do not provide the coverage that finer fibers provide; much as a fine paint brush covers better than a coarse one.
The prior art acknowledges the value of safety in the use of poison traps, but relies on mechanical means to prevent the poison from escaping the structure. Although generally effective for this purpose, the problem of the trap being chewed through by children or animals remains.
The prior art is placed in the intended position and left there to work. Unfortunately, an unsecured device is subject to movement and must be placed on a flat, horizontal surface. Unwanted movement may lead to failure of the device or to increased safety hazards.
The prior art of U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,328,591 and, 2,340,256 granted to Weil contemplates the use of a single poison on traps of a given design. This has the disadvantage of allowing those cockroaches resistant to the poison to survive and reproduce while removing susceptible cockroaches from the gene pool. Over time, the cockroach population will be composed of primarily resistant cockroaches and the trap will lose its effectiveness.
The prior art discloses the use of poisons which act directly to kill the cockroach. If, instead, an agent were used which inhibits cockroach reproduction more effective population control may result.